What´s that flying up there ...
... is often asked, when an ultralight appears in the sky. Flying deckchairs or dishcloths are some of the nicer descriptions. But seriously, we are talking about technically advanced/mature ultralight aircraft from the british manufacturer Mainair.
Gisela´s Trike
One could call it the flying banana, as the body is painted in the form of a banana: After all, Gisela flew it for three years for Chiquita. And nothing fits better the shape of a hang glider than a banana. As this UL is a trike it also means that it is navigated/steered through weight dynamics. This means that the weight of the trike-gondola can be altered by moving the steering frame, thus changing the direction. Alternately, 'proper' aircraft are steered aerodynamically via rudders.
Enough explanation - now for the hard facts:
Mainair Blade 582
Built 1995
2-takt-2-cylinder motor
Cubic capacity: 580 ccm
Power/performance: 54 PS
Cruising speed 95 km/h
Consumption: 12l/h
Tank capacity: 60 l
Range: approx. 300 km
Price: approx. 40.000 DM
Instrumentation: compass, meter, altimeter, variometer, revolutions, water temperature, fuel consumption, exhaust temperature
Additional equipment: air radio, GPS
Mainair Blade 912
Built 1998
4-takt-4-cylinder motor
Cubic capacity: ? ccm
Power/performance: 90 PS
Cruising speed: 95 km/h
Consumption: 13 l/h
Tank capacity: 40 l
Range: approx. 250 km
Price: approx. 57.000 DM
Instrumentation: compass, meter, altimeter, variometer, revolutions, water temperature, fuel consumption, exhaust temperature
Additional equipment: ORBCOMM satellitecommunication, air radio, GPS
In order not to get lost 'down under' we will carry a very advanced piece of technical equipment that can not only determine our exact location at any time but will also transfer our position to Germany. That means that our website on the Internet will always indicate our actual position at the time you log on.
Today, small LEO satellites (Low Earth Orbit) at under 1000 km, announce a new era in mobile and personal communications. The ORBCOMM System assures truly global Coverage to users and was conceived as the first, commercial wireless, packet switched,
two-way communications system. Complete connectivity and integration with existing communications networks have been incorporated into the system´s design. ORBCOMM is offering truly boundary-free services around the world, the System operating in the VHF frequency band, consist of up to 36 Microstar Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites orbiting at approximately 775 kilometres and several appropritely located Gateways. Gateway consist of one or more Gateway Earth Stations (GES) and a Gateway Control Center (GCC) that handles message transfer directly between
subscriber communicators (SC), or through tradtional land-line networks (Internet, X.25 or dedicated lines). Exploiting robust links with the satellites and low-cost
technology for VHF band frequencies, the ORBCOMM System economically connects users operating palm-top terminals anywhere in the world.